Cardio for weight loss - what's your experience?
weightofyourskin
Posts: 173
I've been having a hard time losing weight. Since mid-July I've been hitting my daily calorie goal (1550) and my macros let's say 90% of the time, doing cardio 3-4 times a week, all of that... and I've lost 5 pounds. I'm supposed to be losing 1 pound a week. I eat my exercise calories back, I don't weigh myself around my period, I drink enough water, I allow myself little "cheats" like ice cream and chips but in reasonable portions, and I don't have binge days or days when I don't track at all. I know that cardio machines tend to overestimate calories burned, so I always under-report what I actually do - 20 minutes on the elliptical gets logged as 15, for example. And perhaps most frustratingly, I haven't seen a whole lot of difference in my measurements either - maybe 2 inches off my waist and no real change anywhere else.
I got fed up with what I was doing because I wasn't seeing results, so I got the New Rules of Lifting for Women and decided to focus more on strength training. The author of NRoL doesn't have a very high opinion of cardio as an effective weight-loss exercise. I've found other articles that say the same thing (http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/ for example).
So now I'm wondering if all the cardio I've been doing is responsible for my lack of weight loss? I've also been doing some strength training but not nearly as intensely or regularly as the NRoL workouts, partly because I just didn't know what to do with the equipment, partly because some of the machines just led to injuries (like the stupid leg curl/leg extension ones). Is it better to just focus on strength training? I know that building muscle boosts your metabolism and the calories you burn when resting, but I assumed that cardio would help with weight loss because it just plain burns calories, especially combined with calorie-cutting like I've been doing.
What experience have you guys had with doing cardio - mostly/only cardio - for weight loss? What experience have you had with doing mostly/only strength training for weight loss (or rather, inches and sizes dropped)? Did you have a consistent, sustainable weight loss or did it taper off? If you alternated with strength training, which was most effective? For the MFP members who are more experienced with weight loss and exercise/gyms in general, do you have any advice? My workout plan for the next few months is cardio twice a week and the NRoL workouts three times a week (with 10-15 minutes of cardio as a warmup).
I got fed up with what I was doing because I wasn't seeing results, so I got the New Rules of Lifting for Women and decided to focus more on strength training. The author of NRoL doesn't have a very high opinion of cardio as an effective weight-loss exercise. I've found other articles that say the same thing (http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/ for example).
So now I'm wondering if all the cardio I've been doing is responsible for my lack of weight loss? I've also been doing some strength training but not nearly as intensely or regularly as the NRoL workouts, partly because I just didn't know what to do with the equipment, partly because some of the machines just led to injuries (like the stupid leg curl/leg extension ones). Is it better to just focus on strength training? I know that building muscle boosts your metabolism and the calories you burn when resting, but I assumed that cardio would help with weight loss because it just plain burns calories, especially combined with calorie-cutting like I've been doing.
What experience have you guys had with doing cardio - mostly/only cardio - for weight loss? What experience have you had with doing mostly/only strength training for weight loss (or rather, inches and sizes dropped)? Did you have a consistent, sustainable weight loss or did it taper off? If you alternated with strength training, which was most effective? For the MFP members who are more experienced with weight loss and exercise/gyms in general, do you have any advice? My workout plan for the next few months is cardio twice a week and the NRoL workouts three times a week (with 10-15 minutes of cardio as a warmup).
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Replies
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It's pretty much about the food. Doubt seriously it is the training.0
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80% of how you look is diet, the more I train, the more I am certain of this.0
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Your problem is the "cheats" if you don't stay within your calories you won't lose the weight it says. I have been doing mfp for 5 months and have lost 15 lbs. I only lose the weight when I stay on track with my calories and do cardio.0
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Cardio is a big part of losing weight, and so is strength training, I do a comination of both. I strength train for about a half hour then cardio for an hour. I do not believe only doing strength training is going to get you the results you want.0
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What you eat is at least 90% of the equation. I have lost 110 pounds and it took me a year. I changed my way of eating completely (but slowly) and the only exercise I did for that year was walk.. I walked a LOT, anywhere from 3 miles to 13 miles a day! But I was extremely strict and careful as to what I ate. Now a year later I still mainly do cardio but I am now a runner, I bike and still do a lot of walking. I started weight training over the summer a few times a week (not consistently) and that got me toned and lost clothes sizes, but no drop on the scale. Make sure you are eating whole foods, as natural as possible, only good whole grain carbs, keep your protein intake high, eat TONS of veggies and fruits, and let yourself have a cheat day or meal. I have had Sundays as my cheat day for 2 years, and again- I lost 110 pounds
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I lost 57lbs by only doing cardio.0
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I have been doing WW and MFP for 22 weeks and am down 55 lbs. I do a combo of cardio and strength training and I think strength training is absolutely crucial. That said, I have noticed that I have bigger weight losses when I amp up the cardio. I would never cut out strength training, but I love cardio for the killer calorie burn.0
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I mainly work on Cardio, because it makes me feel good, and I love beating my personal bests. I haven't changed my diet too drastically, I just limit my junk, and in 3 1/2 months I have lost about 13lbs. So I don't see how cardio can inhibit weightloss, maybe you aren't pushing yourself hard enough.0
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I'm 50 yo and I've kept myself thin for most of my life doing cardio. I've sometimes only done cardio and sometimes I've mixed some weight training in with it. Cardio has never let me down. When I want to lose it takes off the pounds. When I want to stay thin it keeps them off.
Plus, as the name suggests, it keeps my heart healthy.0 -
Your problem is the "cheats" if you don't stay within your calories you won't lose the weight it says. I have been doing mfp for 5 months and have lost 15 lbs. I only lose the weight when I stay on track with my calories and do cardio.
By "cheat" I mean I'll have half a cup of ice cream for 150 calories. The "cheats" are not pushing me over my calorie limit. I just checked and I've gone over my calories 6 days since mid-July. I seriously doubt that's why I'm not losing weight.0 -
They really are both required for a healthy lifestyle. Cardio increases blood flow and helps keep the heart happy. Strength training is key to build muscle which burns fat. In terms of reducing body size, well increasing muscle will reduce fat, and muscle is more dense and by volume is smaller/fills less space so ST is "better" than cardio in that sense. In fact, there are members on this board with 6% body fat and never do cardio. I do p90x which incorporates both. And if you have problems with figuring out exercises to do, it might be advisable to pick up a program like that.0
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For myself i do cardio and strength training ahd have been losing about a lb and a half per week. For my cardio i do a high intensity level for 40 min max each time. ex: treadmill incline 15.0 speed 4.3, stairmaster level 8 etc. and strength as well. i would also recommend talking to a trainer too.0
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For myself i do cardio and strength training ahd have been losing about a lb and a half per week. For my cardio i do a high intensity level for 40 min max each time. ex: treadmill incline 15.0 speed 4.3, stairmaster level 8 etc. and strength as well. i would also recommend talking to a trainer too.0
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Your problem is the "cheats" if you don't stay within your calories you won't lose the weight it says. I have been doing mfp for 5 months and have lost 15 lbs. I only lose the weight when I stay on track with my calories and do cardio.
I wouldn't say that is definitely her problem. She said she limits them and it sounds like she works them in to her calorie count. No cheats ever is not realistic.
OP, how much do you have to lose? How much are you aiming to lose a week? If you don't have a lot to lose, it can be very slow. You might want to try switching to a goal of losing 1/2 pound per week (if you have 20 or less pounds to lose). On the flip side, you may actually not be eating enough. Do you eat your exercise calories?0 -
I do a lot of cardio, and I do some strength (often combining the two), and I've lost quite a bit of weight and lots of inches. I've lost more inches than I have pounds, and I'm down 50 pounds.
I regularly do anywhere from 60-120 minutes of cardio, though I've slacked off a little bit lately and usually it's between 60 and 100. I do some strength in addition to this-about 15 minutes three times a week.0 -
I gotta say it's food first. If you're burning calories from cardio and always coming in under, then you should be losing weight. You may be carb sensitive and have a tendency to have a lower metabolism.By "cheat" I mean I'll have half a cup of ice cream for 150 calories. The "cheats" are not pushing me over my calorie limit. I just checked and I've gone over my calories 6 days since mid-July. I seriously doubt that's why I'm not losing weight.
Though I'm not big on cutting things out, try dumping a couple of your cheats for a couple of weeks. If you lose, then you'll have your answer.0 -
bump to read later0
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OP, how much do you have to lose? How much are you aiming to lose a week? If you don't have a lot to lose, it can be very slow. You might want to try switching to a goal of losing 1/2 pound per week (if you have 20 or less pounds to lose). On the flip side, you may actually not be eating enough. Do you eat your exercise calories?
I'd like to lose about 30 more pounds, but I'd be happy to get down to 150 (I'm at 173 now). My MFP settings were originally set to lose 1 pound a week, but I've changed that to 1/2 pound because I need to increase my calories for the extra strength training. I try to eat my exercise calories but I don't always. It's occurred to me that the problem might be that I'm not eating enough calories... but I'm nervous about eating more. Also after months of restricting my calories I just don't feel hungry anymore so I'm not sure how I could increase my calories without resorting to junk food.0 -
Both are important, for different reasons. Cardio will burn more calories and is more of an "immediate" thing. Strength building is more of a long term thing -- the muscles you build will burn more calories while at rest (muscle burns 16 cal/hr, fat burns 2 cal/hr.) You also need both the cardio and strength building to firm and tone the body. No amount of dieting will do that for you.
The other important thing is to change things up. If you do the same thing day in and day out, your body acclimates and you'll hit a plateau. Changing the speed/level/incline is an ok solution to this, but not great. Really, you need to completely change up what up what you're doing every so often. If you're always on the elliptical, you need to do the treadmill or bike or stair climber, or something. You can go back to the elliptical later -- but staying on the elliptical indefinitely won't produce nearly the same results in the long run.
Over the last 2 years, I have lost 125 lbs. I was in WW for most of that time, and have worked with trainers and nutritionists. I have a large number of co-workers and friends who have been doing similar programs for about the same amount of time. The only ones that have lost significant amounts of weight are the ones who combine healthy diets with moderate to intense exercise routines. Even the ones who stick faithfully to their food plans have not done as well in the long-term, either having significantly slower weight loss and/or rebounds in weight gain. And those that don't exercise regularly tend to have far less energy (often leading to increased hunger/perceived hunger). Diet is important, absolutely. But for the majority of people it's not really going to be enough.0 -
bump0
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I'd like to lose about 30 more pounds, but I'd be happy to get down to 150 (I'm at 173 now). My MFP settings were originally set to lose 1 pound a week, but I've changed that to 1/2 pound because I need to increase my calories for the extra strength training. I try to eat my exercise calories but I don't always. It's occurred to me that the problem might be that I'm not eating enough calories... but I'm nervous about eating more. Also after months of restricting my calories I just don't feel hungry anymore so I'm not sure how I could increase my calories without resorting to junk food.
Everyone is different, and you'll probably just have to take the risk and see how your body does to know whether this is the case or not. Speaking for myself, I can tell you that when I don't eat my exercise calories back, I tend to gain weight; when I eat them back (and sometimes go over), I tend to lose weight. Could be a coincidence, but I don't really think so.0 -
Weightloss comes from a calorie deficit. Nothing else.0
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bump to catch up later.0
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How do you calculate exercise calories?
Are you using the MFP values, or a treadmill at the health club, or an HRM?
You may not be burning as many calories as you are logging.
This is another possibility since it sounds like you are good on the "fuel in".
Another question would be what your NET calorie goal is? 1,200? 2,000?0 -
Well, it certainly seems something is amiss, but I doubt it's what type of exercise you're doing. Although I think it's best for your overall health to do both. Cardio keeps the heart strong and weight training keeps your bones strong... and obviously improves your lean muscle as well. It's all very important for women as they age, since we tend to have more issues with bone and muscle loss than men.
I don't know that anyone here is going to be able to help you with your problem. The usual advice applies, I'd assume. You can try eating more, then less... see if either makes a difference. Mix up your exercise plan; that is, whatever you do, switch up the routine. If you try a few things over a few weeks and still don't see results, I'd suggest a trip to the doctor to ensure there's nothing else going on. I have nieces that in their 20s had undiagnosed thyroid problems which contributed to weight gain and inability to lose. Your doctor may be able to recommend a good nutritionist as well.0 -
How do you calculate exercise calories?
Are you using the MFP values, or a treadmill at the health club, or an HRM?
You may not be burning as many calories as you are logging.
This is another possibility since it sounds like you are good on the "fuel in".
Another question would be what your NET calorie goal is? 1,200? 2,000?
I use the MFP values because they're lower than the machine values, but like I said in the original post, I also under-report my workouts to avoid overestimating. My net calorie goal was 1550 but I bumped it up to 1800.0 -
If you try a few things over a few weeks and still don't see results, I'd suggest a trip to the doctor to ensure there's nothing else going on. I have nieces that in their 20s had undiagnosed thyroid problems which contributed to weight gain and inability to lose. Your doctor may be able to recommend a good nutritionist as well.
I had blood tests done in September and I have a doctor's appointment next week to discuss the results (the lab wouldn't send me a copy). I almost hope I have a thyroid issue - at least then I'd know why nothing seems to be working... although I think my doctor would have called if that were the case!0 -
Before I got my hrm, my treadmill said I was burning close to 900 an hour. When I got my hrm it said 500 calories and that was working out hard. I was shocked at how far over the machines were, and mfp was off by at least 150 calories.0
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How do you calculate exercise calories?
Are you using the MFP values, or a treadmill at the health club, or an HRM?
You may not be burning as many calories as you are logging.
This is another possibility since it sounds like you are good on the "fuel in".
Another question would be what your NET calorie goal is? 1,200? 2,000?
I use the MFP values because they're lower than the machine values, but like I said in the original post, I also under-report my workouts to avoid overestimating. My net calorie goal was 1550 but I bumped it up to 1800.
Why did you bump it up? If you bumped it up and aren't losing, then maybe it's not enough of a deficit. Was there a reason you bumped it to 1800?0 -
I do 30 minutes on the elliptical because while it's a cardio workout, it also works my leg muscles. I've started adding a few minutes on the rowing machine (can only do about 3 minutes right now because my legs are BURNING!). Both give me cardio, but also help work the muscles of my legs. I do about 25-30 minutes of strength training (arms and abs 3 days a week and legs and abs 2-3 days a week). I'm not losing massive amounts of weight, but my clothes are getting too big. I put on a pair of my pajamas the other night and walked right out of the pants!
Cardio is important for cardiovascular health and endurance, but you also need strength training to keep from losing muscle mass. Muscle also helps to burn fat, so developing and strengthening those muscles will help burn off the fat. But don't stop your cardio because it's good for your heart. I used to get winded climbed a set of stairs, and now it doesn't bother me. I chalk that up to the cardio work on the elliptical, not the strength training. Runners have some of the healthiest hearts around. My 65 year old father runs regularly and his heart rate is much slower than the average 65 year old because his heart accomplishes more with each beat. His doctor said it's due to him running and strengthening his heart. So a good mix of both is important for overall health. The weight loss will be a happy side effect!0
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